Starting in 2026, the hundreds of thousands of tourists who spend money on Whidbey and Camano islands every year could help make local emergency communication systems better for all.

Following a request by the Board of Directors of ICOM 911, Island County Commissioners unanimously voted Tuesday to add to the next special election ballot a proposition that asks voters to support a two-tenths of 1% — or 0.2% — sales and use tax that would fund improvements to the county’s aging emergency communication systems and facilities.

The next special election is April 22.

This means that residents and visitors will have to pay 2 extra cents for every $10 they spend in the county, or 20 cents for every $100 spent.

Sofia Kohfield, the executive director of ICOM 911 (also known as the Island County Emergency Services Communications Center), told the News-Times that the tax is estimated to collect $3.5 million in its first year, though that may change.

Groceries, gas and medical prescriptions are exempt from this tax. A number of people, she said, have expressed concern over food becoming even less affordable.

She clarified that while groceries are exempt, food that is prepared at an eatery like a restaurant or a deli will be taxed.

This tax proposal represents the center’s first attempt to seek the voters’ support to address the issue before it becomes unfixable, Kohfield said.

According to information presented at the meeting, the communication infrastructure and system is outdated and struggling to meet increasing demand in a county where nearly 30% of the population is over the age of 65 and relies on efficient medical services.

In 2024, Kohfield said, the Island County Emergency Services Communications Center received a record 93,000 calls, a number that Commissioner Melanie Bacon said was “astonishing” for a county with approximately 88,000 residents and highlights the need for this tax.

Despite some challenges, Kohfield said in an interview, the center has been managing to answer most requests for assistance thanks to the help of skilled technicians. But with more issues arising more frequently (sometimes twice in a month), she said there will come a day where temporary Band-Aids won’t be enough to repair technology that is already at or past the end of its life.

The proposed tax and the ensuing upgrades, she said, would prevent this scenario from happening “just in time.”

While Kohfield said it’s too soon to know for sure, she anticipates that design, construction, materials, equipment and labor will come at a multi-million dollar price tag.

Necessary improvements include replacing the dispatch center’s rows of voters and radio repeaters (devices that communicate with the radio towers scattered around the county), as well as replacing cables, antennas and radio repeaters in the radio towers, adding a tower in the Deception Pass area and two towers on North and South Camano and installing microwaves on the towers in order to provide better coverage.

According to a map shared by Kohfield, Whidbey counts six radio towers — one right outside the ICOM building in Oak Harbor, one near Keystone, one in Greenbank and three on the South End — while Camano counts one.

On Whidbey, areas like Ebey’s Landing and Deception Pass experience little to no connectivity due to natural barriers, Kohfield said. This is particularly inconvenient for Deception Pass, which is the most visited state park in the state with approximately 3.5 million visitors every year, according to her presentation.

In the absence of towers, these “dead zones” have been relying on some coverage provided by towers located out of the island. Strawberry Point, for example, gets some coverage from Camano’s lone tower, while Deception Pass gets a small amount from a tower on Fidalgo Island.

While these towers located outside of the island are helpful, distance, hills, cliffs and trees still represent a significant obstacle that result in unreliable coverage, Kohfield said.

Coverage issues, which are often exacerbated by weather events and power outages, have often been a source of significant frustration for dispatchers when the signal is “unreadable, scratchy or worse, not even able to get out,” said Kohfield, who started out working as a dispatcher in the early 2000s.

Tony Slowik, chief of the Oak Harbor Police Department, said he supports the tax. He worries that Whidbey’s communication infrastructure as it is could pose a greater issue in the scenario of a natural disaster, where the island could become physically isolated from the mainland and unable to rely on outside support to provide effective and timely assistance to people in need.

Kohfield believes the sales tax is a fair alternative to a property tax as it would also apply to visitors (and not just residents) who often rely on her team and the local first responders when faced with an emergency situation.

In 2022, she said, tourists visiting Island County spent $314.7 million. With a 0.2% sales tax, that could mean over $600,000 in revenue.

Currently, Kohfield said, 65% of ICOM’s budget comes from user agencies, which include local law enforcement, fire departments and emergency medical services and Whidbey Health.

The remaining 35% comes from rent charged to wireless network operators who use the towers owned by ICOM, and from an excise tax of $0.70 per month that is included in people’s phone bill and that is funneled into the state, which reimburses dispatch centers based on how many calls they report receiving. The state may also reimburse more money if the dispatch centers meet other state requests.

Tuesday, Bacon and Commissioner Jill Johnson asked if it would be possible to give part of those reimbursements to the user agencies, which could use the funds to hire more staff if the proposed tax does pass, to which Kohfield responded affirmatively.

Bacon also asked why the ICOM board is asking for a two-tenths of 1% tax instead of a one-tenth of 1% tax. According to Kohfield and various news sources, multiple counties in the state have passed this same proposal.

Kohfield explained this rate is necessary to keep up with inflation and be “future ready” in case new upgrades are required to meet potential future mandates, though she does not know what mandates will be introduced, nor when. At some point in the future, she said in the interview, ICOM might need funding to address the center’s aging building, or hire additional staff.

Johnson, who is a member of the ICOM 911 board, said the board of commissioners is “very sensitive about pulling more money out of the community than it needs to, particularly at this time.” However, being familiar with the challenges discussed, she said she supports the tax as it would help ensure the safety of the community, which she said is a priority.

Commissioner Janet St. Clair attended the meeting virtually. While she couldn’t be heard due to technical difficulties, she showed her approval for the addition of the tax proposal on the ballot.

If passed, the tax would begin collecting in January 2026, with studies, planning and work starting afterwards, Kohfield said in the interview.

Community members are invited to submit pro and con statements to the auditor’s office and serve on the pro and con committees. Those wishing to learn more can meet Kohfield at an upcoming “Community Catch Up” meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at the Oak Harbor City Hall, followed by a tour of the dispatch center.

The colorful devices on the right, called “voters,” are also used to communicate with the radio towers. These need to be replaced as well. (Photo by Luisa Loi)

ICOM Dispatcher Kimberli May relies on five computer screens to assist people who call 911 and the first responders. She can see in real time the almost exact location of callers and first responders. (Photo by Luisa Loi)